I think grain direction is way overhyped for most projects

Everyone in my local guild acts like checking grain direction is the golden rule of bookbinding, but I tested it on 20 journals over 6 months and saw no difference in warping or wear. I used the same paper, same glue, same everything from Hollander's in Detroit, just swapped the grain for half of them. Nobody could tell which was which in a blind test, not even the shop owner. Has anyone else run a real side-by-side test or are we all just following rules because our mentors said so?

2 comments

2 Comments

miaa4118d ago

Wait, you actually ran a blind test with 20 journals over 6 months? That is impressive dedication. I have to admit I have never done anything that thorough, but I have been binding books for over 30 years and I have seen grain direction cause real problems with heavy boards or thick leather covers. Maybe it matters less for the paper alone in a simple journal, but for a full binding with a stiff cover and a tight back, ignoring the grain can be a disaster. I wonder if your paper supplier uses a specific mill that processes the grain uniformly, so the difference is just not there for you. It is possible your local guild is just passing down a rule that used to matter more with older materials and methods.

brooke_walker2317d ago

Man, I read something last week from a paper conservation blog that was talking about how grain direction used to matter way more because paper was made differently, with longer fibers that all aligned in one direction. These days most of the paper mills have changed their processes to make the fibers more uniform, so the whole grain thing might not affect lighter paper as much. Still, your point about heavy boards and leather makes total sense though. I've seen some bindings where the cover just warped like crazy after a few months because the grain was going the wrong way in the board.